Contents
The reference covers what adverbs of manner are and the rules for forming them, such as adjectives ending in -ic, -le, -ll, -ue, and -y, along with some special cases. You’ll also learn about the position of these adverbs in sentences, including mid-position, end-position, and beginning of a sentence, with some changes in meaning. The reference provides images, a list of adverbs video, and answers to frequently asked questions related to adverbs of manner. Discover how these adverbs can add detail and clarity to your writing.
What are Adverbs of Manner?
Adverbs of manner are the largest group of adverbs. They are typically formed by adding –ly to adjectives. These adverbs describe how an action is performed and often answer the question “how?” in a sentence.
Examples:
- bad – badly
- clear – clearly
- rapid – rapidly
- complete – completely
- surprising – surprisingly
Common adverbs of manner include carefully, quickly, slowly, comfortably, patiently, and safely.
Sentences:
- She drives carefully: The manner in which she drives is careful.
- The cat jumped quickly: The cat carried out the action of jumping in a quick manner.
- He works patiently: The individual performs his job with patience.
Rules for Forming Adverb of Manner
Adjectives Ending in -ic
When the adjective ends in –ic, add -ally to form the adverb.
For example:
- drastic – drastically
- frantic – frantically
- specific – specifically
- dramatic – dramatically
- scientific – scientifically
- enthusiastic – enthusiastically
Adjectives Ending in -le
If the adjective ends in –le preceded by a consonant, change the final –e to -y.
For example:
- simple – simply
- preferable – preferably
- gentle – gently
- reasonable – reasonably
- terrible – terribly
When the adjective ends in –le preceded by a vowel, add -ly.
For example:
- agile – agilely
- sole – solely
Exception:
- whole – wholly
Adjectives Ending in -ll
If the adjective ends in –ll, add -y to form the adverb.
For example:
- dull – dully
- full – fully
- shrill – shrilly
Adjectives Ending in –ue
For adjectives ending in –ue, omit the final –e and add -ly.
For example:
- due – duly
- true – truly
Adjectives Ending in -y
When the adjective ends in –y preceded by a consonant, change the –y to -i before adding -ly.
For example:
- happy – happily
- easy – easily
- busy – busily
- hungry – hungrily
- lazy – lazily
Exception:
- shy – shyly
- sly – slyly
When the adjective ends in –y preceded by a vowel, just add -ly.
For example:
- coy – coyly
- grey – greyly
Exception:
- gay – gaily
Some Special Cases In Forming Manner Adverbs
Other Types of Adverb That End in –ly
- Consequently – Connecting adverb
- Subsequently – Connecting adverb
- Frequently – Frequency adverb
- Generally – Frequency adverb
- Usually – Frequency adverb
- Rarely – Frequency adverb
Irregular Adverbs of Manner
- fast – fast
- hard – hard
- little – little
- loud – loud or loudly
- much – much
- straight – straight
- good – well
Adjectives Ending in –ly with No Corresponding Adverbs
- friendly
- likely
- ugly
- lively
- silly
- lonely
Pairs of Adverbs with Different Meanings
- hard (with effort) – hardly (scarcely)
- high (opposite of low) – highly (very)
- late (opposite of early) – lately (recently)
- near (opposite of far) – nearly (almost)
- wide (opposite of narrow) – widely (commonly)
Position of Adverbs of Manner
Mid-Position
Adverbs of manner are placed right before the main verb or after the auxiliary verb when in the mid-position. This placement gives emphasis to how an action is performed.
Examples:
- She quietly entered the room.
- They were loudly laughing during the party.
- He has carefully prepared the documents.
For negative verbs, the adverb typically comes after “not”:
- She did not slowly walk towards him.
- They are not politely speaking to each other.
In Verb + Preposition + Complement structures, placement depends on complement length:
- He looked at me kindly.
- He kindly looked at me.
Shorter complements can have flexible adverb placement:
- She looked at the picture carefully.
- She (furiously) yelled (furiously) at the group of people standing in her way.
The adverb is placed after the object when the complement is short but before the verb or right after the verb when the complement is long.
End-Position
Adverbs of manner often appear at the end of a verb phrase or sentence. This placement broadens emphasis to the action.
Examples:
- The cat purred softly.
- The speaker talked enthusiastically.
- The players practiced diligently.
Beginning of Sentence
Adverbs of manner can also be at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis or style.
Examples:
- Quickly, she finished the race.
- Gently, he closed the door behind him.
Changes in Meaning
Placement of adverbs can change a sentence’s meaning.
Example:
- Foolishly, he answered the phone. (Act of answering is foolish)
- He answered the phone foolishly. (Manner of answering is foolish)
Careful placement is needed for clear meaning.
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